Commencement for Class of ’99 Set for May 15

Commencement for Class of ’99 Set for May 15

RICE NEWS
April 29, 1999

Former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt–a leading advocate of the European
Monetary Unit (EMU) and an influential voice in European politics and economics–will
deliver the commencement speech at Rice University on Saturday, May 15.

Commencement ceremonies will start at 8:30 a.m. in the Academic Quadrangle.
In case of inclement weather, graduation ceremonies will be held in Autry Court.

The class of 1999 will be the 86th graduating class in Rice’s history.

In addition to the awarding of degrees, commencement weekend festivities will
include the class of ’99 convocation, the Shepherd School of Music Presidential
Concert, and a presidential reception for students, guests, faculty, staff and
administration. All of these events are to be held in Alice Pratt Brown Hall
on Friday, May 14, followed by a fireworks show in the stadium parking lot starting
at 10:15 p.m.

The Student Art Exhibition in the Rice University Art Gallery in Sewall Hall
will be on display 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 14, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
on Saturday, May 15.

Schmidt was born in 1918 in Hamburg, Germany. During World War II, he served
in the German army, first in an armored division on the Eastern Front and later
in the Ardennes offensive, earning an Iron Cross. After the war, he joined the
Social Democratic Party.

Schmidt was first elected to the Bundestag, the German legislative body, in
1953. He was elected chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1974,
a position he held until 1982. After stepping down from that office, he remained
active in politics as a member of the Bundestag until 1987.

Before and during his term as chancellor, Schmidt played a central role in
turning NATO’s attention toward the potential economic and political benefits
of greater dialogue with Eastern Europe and Russia.

He and former French president Valery Giscard d’Estaing were the two strongest
advocates of the European Monetary Union.